The Promise of a Second Life: Amber Atherton on the Rise (and Fall) of Virtual Communities
In Conversation with Andrew Keen on Keen On
Hosted by Andrew Keen, Keen On features conversations with some of the world’s leading thinkers and writers about the economic, political, and technological issues being discussed in the news, right now.
In this episode, Andrew talks to the author of The Rise of Virtual Communities, Amber Atherton about the rise of virtual communities like the WELL, Second Life, Flickr, Reddit and Discord.
Find more Keen On episodes and additional videos on Lit Hub’s YouTube Channel!
Amber Atherton is a British Entrepreneur and Investor based in Silicon Valley. A community building expert, Atherton began coding as a child, starting various internet businesses, and garnering an online following, before co-creating the hit TV show Made in Chelsea. In 2018 she took part in Y Combinator with her community software startup Zyper, which was later acquired by Discord. Atherton went on to join the early-stage venture capital firm Patron as a Partner in 2023. Alongside investing her charitable initiative The Atherton Award recognizes entrepreneurial spirit in young women across the UK.
